Health, Safety and Wellness

MORE Information

Seasonal Flu Guide

The New York State Department of Health has released its
flu guide for parents for the 2016-17 school year. Keep your
children safe. Make sure they are vaccinated every fall or
winter. Find clinics, test your "Flu IQ" and track flu
activity
HERE.

For even more information, please see the CDC seasonal flu
guide
HERE.

RESOURCES

Providing a safe, positive, stimulating environment...

In Glens Falls City Schools, we value the health, safety and well-being of
every student and staff member. We are committed to our mission of “providing a
safe, positive and stimulating environment” for learning—by providing health
assessment and health information to enhance the quality of education and the
quality of life for our students.

Safety at glens falls city schools

GFSD
buses and vans earn a perfect “100” on DOT safety inspection

June 10, 2016—The New York State Department of Transportation has commended the Glens
Falls City Schools bus maintenance program as among the best! Fully 100
percent of the district’s vehicles passed NYSDOT’s semi-annual bus safety inspections for the entire previous year. [
MORE ]

Safety improvements made in 2013

December 20, 2013 — In the year that has passed since the tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, Glens Falls administrators
redoubled efforts to strengthen the security of district
buildings—and those efforts continue today. Some of the safety
enhancements that have been made within the last year include:

At Jackson Heights, card swipes were installed at
additional exterior doors for more controlled access to
the building, and some interior doors were replaced with
doors containing smaller glass panels to limit
accessibility to intruders.

At Kensington, three windows were replaced with units
that allow for emergency egress.

At Big Cross, the main office entrance was modified so
that visitors can no longer walk into the office without
checking in.

At all schools, red lights were installed at each
front entrance. The lights will flash when a school goes
into a lockdown or lockout situation, alerting people
outside the building that they should not try to enter.

At the Middle and High Schools, Glens Falls Police
officers are on hand for arrival and dismissal daily.
Officers also perform daily building walk-throughs, on a
randomized schedule.

“Our efforts persist as we work together to ‘provide a
safe, positive and stimulating environment’ for our students,
through the use of emergency drills, staff trainings, and
continued review of protocols for building security,” says
Superintendent Paul Jenkins.

THIS
POWERPOINT presentation from Engage NY was delivered to
the Board of Regents on Monday, January 14, 2013. It explains
various elements of the Schools Against Violence in Education
(SAVE) act, and can serve as a helpful resource.

Health Office general information

School health services at GFSD are provided by professional
registered nurses, and at times, Drs. Emblidge, Evans and
Tedesco, our school physicians. Our school nurses provide a
variety of school health services, functions and programs.

In addition to giving first aid and assisting students who have accidents or
are ill during school hours, the nurse is available to advise students regarding
problems, health and hygiene. The nurse also maintains the students’ health
records and is responsible to see that all required medical examinations and
inoculations are up-to-date.

Whenever children are together in large groups, concerns
arise regarding the transmission of communicable diseases. The
following guidelines have been developed to optimize the
health and school attendance of all children:

A child is to remain out of school for 24 hours following
the last incidence of fever over 100 degrees, vomiting or
diarrhea.

A child should remain out of school if he/she is
actively coughing or sneezing.

A child will not be allowed to attend school if any
unidentified rash is present.

If diagnosed with Strep Throat or Conjunctivitis (pink
eye), the child must be on medication for 24 hours before
returning to school.

The nurse evaluates incidents of illness and injury in
school. If she deems the child too ill or requiring further
medical evaluation, she will notify the parent or other
designated responsible party. A parent or another responsible
adult is expected to pick the child up in the Health Office
promptly. In selecting an individual to act as an emergency
contact for your child, please ensure that they live locally,
can be available if needed, can arrange transportation, and
have the authority to seek medical care for your child in your
absence.

NO MEDICATION is given in school (including cough drops,
ointments, Tylenol, etc.) unless a physician has determined it
is essential during school hours. If your child’s doctor feels
a medication is needed in school, NYS Education Law requires:
1. A written doctor’s order
2. A parent/guardian’s written authorization
3. The medication in its pharmacy or drug company-labeled
container
(Your pharmacy will give you a second labeled container if
needed for school.)

Under no circumstances should a child bring any medication
to school. Parents should bring any authorized medication
directly to the nurse.

By New York State regulation, nurses are also prohibited
from administering any medical treatment other than first aid
and treatment of minor cuts and burns classified as first aid.
Second dressings to out-of-school treated wounds cannot be
applied. If a child's problem is more than minor, appropriate
arrangements will be made for care, and parents/guardians will
be notified.

All health concerns should be discussed with the school
nurse so a plan of care or action can be developed. Physical
Education and outdoor recess participation may be excused for
one session with a parent’s written request. Any additional
exclusion requires a written physician’s statement.

PHYSICAL EXAMS AND SCREENINGS

Following NYS regulations, each student in grades K-3, 5,
7, and 10 receives a vision test for distance. Hearing tests
are done on each student in grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
Scoliosis screening is done on all students in grades 5-9.
Parents are notified if the student fails to pass the
screening tests.

Physicals are required prior to kindergarten entry and
again in second, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades. Also any
student transferring into the district for the first time must
provide a health certificate from his/her family physician or
the school district previously attended. The child’s physician can
complete the physical or the school doctor will perform a
physical. Any condition needing medical attention which is
discovered by the school physician will be reported to the
parent for follow-up by the family physician.

Students wishing to participate in interscholastic
athletics must undergo a special examination and be found to
be physically fit by the school physician before being
permitted to be on a team. Nurses are in attendance or on call
in each of the district’s six schools to administer aid and to
help with each student’s health problems. Individual student
records indicating medical history, height, weight, sight,
hearing and color perception are maintained by the school.

REQUIRED IMMUNIZATIONS

The following immunizations are required by New York State
for entrance into school:

All of the above immunizations must be documented by your
physician or local health department where your child received
the immunization, or must be from an official copy of the
immunization record from your child’s previous school. All
immunizations must specify the exact date each immunization
was administered. Your child will not be permitted to attend
school without the necessary verification of immunizations.

No immunizations are performed by the Glens Falls City
School District. Immunizations must be obtained privately or
by the county Health Services.

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES INVESTIGATIONS

Consistent with the district’s commitment to keep students
safe from harm and the obligation of school officials to
report to child protective services when they have reasonable
cause to suspect that a student has been abused or maltreated,
the district will cooperate with local child protective
services workers who wish to conduct interviews of students on
school property relating to allegations of suspected child
abuse, and/or neglect, or custody investigations.

All requests by child protective services to
interview a student on school property shall be made directly
to the building principal or his or her designee. The building
principal or his or her designee shall set the time and place
of the interview. The building principal or his or her
designee shall decide if it is necessary and appropriate for a
school official to be present during the interview, depending
on the age of the student being interviewed and the nature of
the allegations. If the nature of the allegations is such that
it may be necessary for the student to remove any of his or
her clothing in order for the child protective services worker
to verify the allegations, the school nurse or other district
medical personnel must be present during that portion of the
interview. No student may be required to remove his or her
clothing in front of a child protective services worker or
school district official of the opposite sex.

A child protective services worker may not remove a student
from school property without a court order, unless the worker
reasonably believes that the student would be subject to
danger or abuse if not he or she was not removed from school
before a court order can reasonably be obtained. If the worker
believes the student would be subject to danger of abuse, the
worker may remove the student without a court order and
without the parent’s consent.